HJC snaps alliance with BJP in Haryana

Accusing the BJP of "betrayal", Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) president Kuldeep Bishnoi Thursday announced the end of his party's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP hit back immediately, accusing Bishnoi's "personal political ambitions" as being responsible for the split.

The HJC also announced its new alliance with the newly floated Jan Chetna Party (JCP) of former union minister and ex-Congress member Venod Sharma.

The move comes ahead of assembly elections in Haryana, most probably in October.

"The BJP continued to betray me constantly. We tried to keep the alliance but (failed). We hoped they (the BJP) will change but they did not. We are pulling out of this alliance," Bishnoi, son of former chief minister and non-Jat strongman Bhajan Lal, said here.

"The BJP is taking corrupt and goonda leaders from other parties, especially the Congress. We could not have carried on with them in such circumstances.

"The entire party (BJP) is 'dhokebaaz'. I cannot name one particular leader. The BJP central leadership also betrayed me. We had a written alliance agreement which the BJP has betrayed," an upset Bishnoi told media.

"The BJP has betrayed Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala in the past. They have made it a habit," Bishnoi said.

The split between the BJP and HJC was evident as in the recent weeks, senior leaders from both sides made statements against each other and blamed each other for the impending break.

State BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma said Bishnoi was responsible for breaking the alliance. "It is good he has broken it and shown us where he stands," he said.

"We never wanted to break the alliance. Bishnoi has taken the decision but this will not affect the BJP. He (Bishnoi) has not done a good thing," Sharma said, adding that the BJP will contest all 90 assembly seats and win the assembly polls.

Jat leader Birender Singh, who quit the Congress recently and joined the BJP, too said that the BJP will not be affected by the break-up of the HJC-BJP alliance.

The BJP, which allied with the HJC in 2011, was earlier ready to play second fiddle to the HJC.

BJP leaders like then president Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj, who worked out the alliance, had even publicly declared that Bishnoi would be the chief minister if the alliance was voted to power.

Both parties contested the recent Lok Sabha polls together. The BJP won seven seats in the state. The HJC lost on both seats that it contested.

Later, the BJP declined to offer too many seats to HJC in the assembly elections, let alone making Bishnoi the chief minister.